BENTON – [VIDEO FOLLOWS REPORT] Judge Executive Kevin Neal opened the Marshall County Fiscal Court meeting Tuesday with a moment of silence in honor of Judge Mike Miller who passed away one year ago. A picture of Chyrill Miller was presented by the court and will be hung in the court room.
Marshall County Clerk Tim York presented their budget and deputy hire for the coming year. The court approved the budgeted $205,000 in excess fees and the deputy hire.
Bobby Gifford requested a draw from Fund B in the amount of $8,454.47 for materials for the booster station at the Oak Level tank which the court approved. The money from KIA won’t be available until January and will be reimbursed to the court at that time.
Parks Director Larry Whitt requested approval to advertise for bid surplus items that the park has which was approved.
Wayne Shelton of Wayne Shelton and Associates addressed the possibility of an agreed upon procedures audit which is typically done when a new Judge Executive takes office. An operational type review of all inventories in the county. This has been budgeted and will run between $18,000-$24,000 for the audit.
OLD BUSINESS
Fee Pooling Ordinance
County Attorney Jeff Edwards presented the second reading of the Fee Pooling Ordinance for the Sheriff’s Office. The court approved the Ordinance with comments from Commissioner Bob Gold who felt they may be moving too quickly with the Ordinance but said he wanted to “make sure we keep everything lined up and don’t overtax the treasury department.”
Sheriff Kevin Byars addressed the court clarifying some things that have been mis-leading in press outlets that he has not and will never cheat, wrong or defraud anyone and has not done so in his 10 years as Sheriff.
“Various news stories have betrayed that I was over spending the budget which is not the case”, Byars said. “It is a line item that yes, I did overspend, but there’s always been money there to cover that in the years that are in question and I just wanted to clarify that.”
“This is a new change and as you know I wasn’t in favor of it but it’s out of my hands. We will continue to work and provide protection and service to this county. I pride myself in what we’ve been able to do as Sheriff. I pledge today that I will work with the Commissioners to continue to provide the very service and protection that this county desires and is used to and I hope this court pledges to do the same.”
Hunter’s Lane
Jeff Risley previously came before the court concerning a section of Hunter’s Lane off of property he is possibly purchasing. The section at the end of the cul-de-sac is owned by the county which will allow Risley to use the area to build a driveway.
NEW BUSINESS
Sheriff’s Budget
Sheriff Kevin Byars turned in his 2016 budget which shows $1,281,475 in receipts estimated for 2016 and will be dispersed back to the Fiscal Court. The budget was accepted by the court.
Administrative Change
An administrative change was made to the Emergency Management Mutual Aid Assistance Agreement and Executive Order to reflect the new Judge Executive.
Bids for Software
County Treasurer Emily Martin requested to advertise for bid an updated version of financial and administrative software which was approved. Martin said the bids may not be awarded immediately until research is done into the bids to determine if it is what the county needs.
Holiday Schedule
The county schedule of holiday office closings was reviewed and approved by the court.
Court concluded with an Executive Session to discuss a personnel matter.
The next meeting of the Fiscal Court is on January 5th.